


Hold Your Ground

by sweetsodamick



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: 1980s, Alternate Universe - Scientists, Drunk Sex, Love/Hate, M/M, Paleontology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:49:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27661615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetsodamick/pseuds/sweetsodamick
Summary: Paleobotanists have had an inferiority complex towards paleozoologists since the formation of the fossils. Rhett came to this conclusion some time after the news that a paleozoologist was to arrive at their excavation site.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Kudos: 4





	Hold Your Ground

**Author's Note:**

> Please go into reading this with caution: English IS NOT my native language and I mainly used Google Translate for doing this, so the writing is (as a good friend once said) WONKY. Also, I have no idea when or if I'm ever gonna continue and finish this, Chapter Two is currently in progress, but who knows...

_North of USA, Montana_  
_1986_

Compared to the peace of the previous weeks, this day was full of bustle. Everyone walked around at a brisk pace, almost breaking into a run, moving boxes and swarming, raising dust. This kind atmosphere could get anyone on edge. The past month has been relatively quiet for everyone but Rhett. This expedition was his first job as a leader of the group, so he constantly had to obsessively control everyone around. The Aptian Age Angiosperm Study Project had occupied the entirety of Rhett's working and non-working hours for seven months now, begging on his knees for resources from his superiors and personally selecting the research team. Therefore, when they stumbled upon a tarsus of what was, according to primary assumptions, a protarcheopteryx and when everything turned upside down, Rhett was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  
The thing is that if they found something else, and not a protarcheopteryx, they would have done this without the turmoil. They would've quietly removed the remains, packed them and sent them to the proper offices for examining. But the fact that the bone belonged to a protarcheopteryx - even if it wasn't proven - changed everything. Previously, they, the protarcheopteryxes, were dug up only on the territory of China, so this is a unique find for Montana, which "will turn modern zoological views on theropods of that time." And Rhett didn't give a great damn if they've found a protarcheopteryx or chicken wings from KFC! Everything stopped going according to his clearly composed plan, and Rhett was terribly unnerved.

"There! Look!" shouted someone from the team.

Rhett, who had previously stood with a paper cup of water by the cooler, instinctively turned, but the liquid splashed out of the edges and onto his wind jacket. He cursed and went into the tent. He got lucky that the waterproof material saved him from the need to change completely, but the jacket was soaked. Rhett began rummaging through his bag. Finding something in this heap of things was more difficult than any excavation there. Rhett found an old sweatshirt with his university logo. Into the field scientists usually take items of clothing that are worthless, because when cleaning prints and fossils from layers of earth and sand, they often lie directly on them, so clothes get easily ruined.  
He stepped out from under the awning, pulling his wet jacket over his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the helicopter had already landed, raising clouds of dust. From the cockpit quite literally fell out a young guy at first glance being about nineteen years old. Perhaps a student assistant or something like that. His appraising gaze circled everyone and settled on Rhett, whose T-shirt lifted up, exposing his torso. He was embarrassed and quickly straightened his clothes, putting on a warm sweatshirt on top. He hid his hands in his pockets, not ceasing to look at the helicopter, waiting for the exit of someone vaguely resembling a paleozoologist, but the pilot jumped out of it and no one else.

"Rhett! Rhett, come here!" his name brought Rhett out of trance. He came to his senses and headed towards Chase, who was standing next to the newcomers.

"Wow, it's quite chilly out here!" is the first thing Rhett heard as he approached the group. It was the assistant with whom they crossed eyes upon arrival speaking. Rhett snorted. The boy was wearing short khacky shorts and a shirt with short sleeves of the same color. Who is going to Montana dressed like this at the end of September? Rhett remained silent.

"Rhett, this is Dr. Neal, our new paleozoologist."

"You can just call me Link."

Well, Rhett was at the very least surprised. To be honest, his jaw almost hit the floor. This little cute boy is the villain who came to steal his laurels? It's even funny somehow. Rhett was young himself, he was turning twenty-six in a couple of weeks, but this "specialist" is basically a child. A child who was now holding an outstretched hand for a handshake with a questioning smile. Rhett answered uncertainly.

"Dr. McLaughlin," he said coldly.

"Come on, Rhett, we're not going by last names here, are we?"

Rhett said nothing, and the two took over the conversation. They began to discuss flight, camp arrangement and resettlement. Rhett half-listened, eyeing Neal.

"I thought to put you in a tent with Josh, his place is over there, in the lowland, but we did not expect the pilot to stay too, so we have to do something different. You can probably stay at Rhett's, he is still closer to the work area anyways."

"If he doesn't mind, then I don't mind."

Rhett was definitely not thrilled, but he was not going to turn Neal against himself and vocally object to it. Moreover, Rhett did not come up with a single worthy excuse why Neal should not be settled with him. So he decided to just quietly hate and wait for it to be over. Even if he had to endure the presence of the paleozoologist in his tent. He keep being professional, but nothing more. Rhett does not intend to make friends with Neal.

***

_11:44 pm_

_I've never been closer_  
_I've tried to understand_  
_That certain feeling_  
_Carved by another's hand_

_But it's too late to hesitate_  
_We can't keep on living like this_

In the evening of the same day, the research team decided to throw a small party to celebrate the arrival of a new team member and their discovery. A small dance floor was organized under a common canopy, and all the snacks and drinks available in small quantities were placed on the table nearby. Hits from three years ago were played from the Panasonic.  
Rhett was sitting on a folding chair in the corner, drinking his third bottle of shitty beer, and was even shittier mood. He planned to finish off the rest of the drink and sneak off back to his tent. Correction, to their tent. For the next couple of weeks, Link Neal now shared not only work space, but also living space with him. By the way, this very Link Neal was now absurdly swaying from side to side to the beat of Temptation by Heaven 17. He apparently learned his lesson of weather-appropriate attire because he changed his shorts for jeans, which he cuffed at the ends, and his shirt for a sweater with an incomprehensible pattern. He even changed his sneakers to match. Who is this whole dress up even for?

_Leave no track_  
_Don't look back_

_Temptation_

The chorus began, and everyone on the dance floor were moving more actively, including Neal. He started foolishly jumping up and down, making a helicopter move with his hands. It was clear from his hesitant steps that he was already pretty drunk. Link crashed into the back of one of the dancers. Rhett, who had been watching him all this time, grinned. Neal said something with an apologetic expression on his face and continued to portray something between the mating dances of birds of paradise and the convulsions of an epileptic. There is no other name for his dancing. Rhett took another sip of his beer. From hypnotizing music, relaxed atmosphere and alcohol in his head, everything became clouded, and as if there were pleasant vibrations. He wanted to start moving randomly to the beat of the music himself, but Rhett decided to resist the temptation, no matter what the silly song suggested. Meanwhile, the music finished it's last lines and everything went quiet for a couple of seconds. The previously muffled quiet conversations of those standing at the edges and in the dark corners became clearly audible, and they abruptly fell silent. Then the silence was suddenly interrupted by a new tune. Rhett recognized it, the only hit by The Psychedelic Furs that tore apart radios in the summer of '82.

_There's an army on the dance floor_  
_It's a fashion with a gun, my love_  
_In a room without a door_  
_A kiss is not enough in_

_Love my way, it's a new road_  
_I follow where my mind goes_

He liked this song more than the last one, but now his bottle was empty, which meant it's time to leave. He got up and headed straight across the dance floor. Rhett brushed someone with his shoulder, uttered a quick "Sorry" their way without looking back, and got out into the space free from people. He threw the Budweiser bottle into the bin where everyone was throwing their trash, and walked towards his tent, which was at a distance. Ten feet away, rapid steps were following him. The ground was strewn with small pebbles, so every step gave off an unpleasant rustling noise. Rhett didn't turn around, and soon the footsteps caught up with him. He felt a hand on his shoulder first, and then he looked around. Of course, who else could it be if not the person Rhett least wanted to see? Neal caught up with him and removed his hand.

"Why leave the party so early, Dr. McLaughlin?" his speech was inhibited.

"Not feeling so well," he lied. Or rather, almost lied. Rhett nearly hadn't recognize his own voice, it sounded so faded and distant.

"Oh, really? And I really thought that our presence is unpleasant for you."

Firstly, how does this person in such a state of intoxication come up with his witty, at least in his own opinion, answers?  
Secondly, what the hell is “our” presence?! He is not a pat of this, and this is not his group. Rhett worked side by side with these people for weeks, and this upstart came and stolen the attention, and now he is the life of the company.  
Neal kept up with Rhett's brisk pace, so after a couple of steps they were near their tent. Rhett pushed back the canvas curtain and went inside. In silence they parted, each to their own corners of the awning. The small space contained two folding beds, an iron table and their bags. Rhett changed into a T-shirt, took his bath accessories, a bottle of water, and went back outside. Link followed him. Having quickly brushed their teeth, the men returned inside and lay down on the beds, facing away in opposite directions.  
Rhett couldn't sleep. After ten minutes of meaningless gazing at the wall, he turned onto his back and put his hands behind his head. Movement began on the next bed too.

"Do you always have such a passive-aggressive attitude or is it just an attitude towards me?" came an arrogant voice.

"I’m sleeping," Rhett’s desire not to start a conflict cracked inexorably under the weight of irritation. The irrepressible ignorance of Neal's own importunity pissed Rhett out of himself.

"You're not," Link turned, and Rhett could see with a peripheral vision that Neal was now looking at him.

"We're not friends," The words were a little out of place, but this was the maximum that Rhett could squeeze out of himself, without screaming.

"Yes, but why ?! All the others, it seems, accepted me into the social circle, what on Earth did I do to you?"

Rhett broke.

"You're joking, right? This was my expedition! My! But then you came! And fuck all my hard work, we have a paleozoologist on the dig, everybody! Nobody even noticed that from this fucking helicopter the fossils of the Sapindae were covered with dust!" He paused, and there was silence for a second. Then Link sat up abruptly on the bed.

"And what am I to blame? For taking on a duty that someone should have taken anyway? Or do you think a bunch of botanists could examine protarcheopteryx?" he spoke in a raised voice, a southern accent clearly coming through. Rhett felt himself in a non-dominant position, so he too got up and sat on the bed facing Link.

"Of course we're just a bunch of botanists compared to you, all hail the king of paleontological sciences!"

Link jumped out of bed and stamped his foot. Rhett stood up too, and they were facing each other.

"It's not me here who treats other people like pieces of shit!" Link grabbed Rhett by the collar, spitting the words in his face. Rhett was silent in surprise. Link was panting inches away from him. Neal was wearing white socks, a T-shirt, checkered boxers and nothing else. He looked ridiculous and not at all intimidating, but feeling the strength with which his hands were holding the shirt, and seeing the tightening muscles, Rhett involuntarily shuddered, his gaze darted to Link's lips. Neal no longer looked like a young teenager to him. Neal straightened to his full height and almost caught up with Rhett. He did not for a second cease the angry gaze of blue eyes, which in the darkness of the night seemed bluish black.

"What, got nothing to say? Because I'm right?" Link tightened his grip and pulled upward, which forced Rhett to place his hands around Neal's waist in an effort to maintain balance. Neal radiated warmth, even through the fabric of his shirt Rhett could feel it. This warmth passed through the palms, arms and his whole body. The closeness of Link's breathing on his lips made the hairs on the back of Rhett's neck stand on end and goosebumps run down his body. Then a hoarse, almost inaudible groan came from Link, after which he closed the distance between them. The touch of their lips was imperceptible and lasted for only seconds, after which Link pulled away.

"That's why I mistook you for a student. You even kiss like a teenager..." Rhett whispered, not a drop of bile left in his voice, although he tried to sound derisive.

"Oh, really? I'll show you a fucking teenager right now!"

Link pushed him onto the bed, which buckled under the man's heavy weight and creaked disgustingly. Rhett gasped in surprise as Neal knelt down and pulled off McLaughlin's sweatpants along with his underwear.


End file.
